episode. 8 - I love you

When I opened my eyes, it was pitch black.

I came back to that dream I never wanted to have again.

Crack-!

김준면

"Ugh...!"

김무열

"You'll be back here anyway, so don't waste your energy."

김준면

" ha.... "

My uncle has been incredibly fond of me since long ago. But I never knew this would be a trap.

He abused and imprisoned me in order to somehow turn me into his uncle's doll.

김준면

"Ugh,... I was wrong..-"

김무열

"What did I do wrong-?"

김준면

"He... ran away..."

김무열

"How dare someone who knows that run away?"

김준면

"Huh..."

김무열

"But you still have to be punished for your mistakes, right? I've been too lenient with you lately, haven't I?"

김준면

"...!! Not there... please...! "

I shouted that I didn't want to go, but my uncle ignored me and dragged me to the pool.

From this time on, I developed severe aquaphobia.

Even the peculiar disinfectant smell coming from the water was terrible.

김무열

"Our Junmyeon must be thirsty, so Uncle will make sure you drink some water."

My uncle repeatedly grabbed my hair and dipped my face in the water without changing his expression.

Phew-

Chook-!

김준면

"Ouch...! Kehek-!"

김무열

"How is it, isn't it cool?"

Phew-

김준면

"Woof-!"

Chook-

김준면

"Keuk...! Haa..."

I couldn't help but grimace at the pain I felt as water filled my nose.

김무열

"You're pretty, but you're suffering more like that."

김무열

"It's so funny to see you struggling and throwing a tantrum."

김준면

" ......... "

김무열

"You have to rely only on me."

김준면

(Dori Dori) "Huh....."

김무열

"Even if you don't like it, I'll make it happen soon."

When I finally woke up from my deep dream, I saw Seokmin and Suhyeok next to me, and Junhyeok was next to them.

이수혁

"Junmyeon...! Are you okay-?"

김준면

" yes... "

이준혁

"But the fever has gone down a lot now..."

이수혁

" thank god... "

이준혁

"Junmyun, can I ask what kind of dream you had? If it's difficult to talk about, you don't have to."

김준면

"The day I was water tortured... it was a dream again."

Junhyeok listened carefully and then asked if I could come for a consultation.

이준혁

"Junmyeon, I think it would be good to get some counseling for a while. Is that okay...?"

김준면

" are you okay- "

이준혁

"Then the teacher will make the schedule. Come with Soo-hyuk-"

김준면

"Yes, I will-"

이준혁

"Then I'll go. If anything comes up, call me-"

After Junhyeok left, only Suhyeok and I were left in the hospital room.

Suhyuk held my hand tightly as I trembled with anxiety.

이수혁

"It's okay because my brother is by my side-"

김준면

" ........ "

이수혁

"I will protect you at all costs."

My uncle was such a vicious person that I barely managed to escape from that house.

I was afraid that people around me would get hurt because of me.

김준면

"But... you know very well how evil your uncle is-"

이수혁

"Are you worried that your brother might get hurt?"

김준면

"I don't want to see my brother or anyone else get hurt because of me..."

이수혁

"It's absolutely not your fault. So don't say it's because of you-"

이수혁

"And remember, there are many people by your side who will protect you, okay?"

Today, as usual, I was resting in the hospital room after receiving counseling.

While I was resting, I heard the sound of the hospital room door opening and saw a familiar shadow.

When I raised my head, the person in front of me was none other than Choi Seung-cheol.

김준면

"...Choi Seung-cheol"

최승철

"I came because my older brother told me you were here."

김준면

"Yeah, thanks..."

최승철

"Are you hiding something from me?"

김준면

" ....... "

최승철

"But I'm your friend, so shouldn't you know?"

김준면

" ....I'll tell you- "

김준면

"My uncle had loved me terribly since long ago. But I didn't know it was a trap. He had me abused and imprisoned in order to somehow turn me into his puppet."

최승철

"Are you crazy?"

김준면

"And I was even water tortured... Do you remember that I was afraid of water? That's why I was afraid of water."

최승철

"He's really crazy. How could he do that to you without hesitation?"

김준면

"But thanks to the manager, I was able to get out-"

최승철

"Is that what Director Koo said?"

김준면

" huh- "

김준면

"I heard that my uncle had left for a foreign country since then, so I thought I would never see him again... but I heard that he recently came back to Korea-"

최승철

" ....... "

김준면

"And the reason I told you not to answer the phone is because my uncle is the kind of person who would do anything to find me."

최승철

" ha..... "

김준면

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in advance..."

최승철

"No, you don't have to be sorry. But thank you for trusting me and talking to me."

김준면

"Maybe the day I meet my uncle is not far away..."

Seungcheol knew that I was anxious and held my hand tightly.

최승철

"Don't worry, I'm here. And don't even think about going to that dangerous place alone-"

김준면

"Ahem, I got caught."

최승철

"I never intend to send you away alone."

My body had recovered significantly, so I decided to be discharged. However, I decided to continue receiving counseling at Junhyeok's hospital.

It's dangerous to go to the hideout right now, and I have a promise with Soo-hyuk, so I decided to stay at his house.

Choi Seung-cheol decided to go along, saying that he would devise a plan to confront his uncle.

이준혁

"Junmyeon, you know you have to come for counseling regularly, right?"

김준면

"Yes, I know-"

이준혁

"Suhyuk, take Junmyeon to the hospital."

이수혁

"Yeah, I will."

이준혁

"If anything else comes up, call me. I'm busy, so I'll go-"

최승철

"I came to my brother's house to plan a plan, but I don't know what to do..."

이수혁

" I know... "

김준면

"Um... I guess I should try contacting the manager first. He used to work as a bodyguard at my uncle's house..."

이수혁

"Then let's do that-"

After hearing my brother's answer, I immediately called the manager, but he didn't answer the phone, probably because he was busy.

김준면

"I'm not receiving it..."

최승철

"I'll call you later, just wait."

김준면

"Ugh..."

While waiting for the manager to call, I decided to send a text to Minhyuk as well.

Actually, I wasn't contacted by Minhyuk after that, so I was afraid he wouldn't read it.

Still, with the intention of grabbing at straws, I summoned up my courage and sent a text message to Lee Min-hyeok asking for help.

김준면

Lee Min-hyuk...

김준면

'I know it's selfish... but please help me.'

김준면

'Minhyuk, I need you.'

Minhyuk's point of view-)

While I was working, my phone rang.

I was busy so I handed my phone over to Sejin and asked him to check it for me.

이민혁

"Sejin, can you please check who contacted you?"

세진

" yes. "

세진

"Boss... I got a call from Suho."

이민혁

"Kim Junmyeon? Give me your phone."

At the mention of Kim Junmyeon, I immediately took Sejin's phone and looked at the KakaoTalk message from Junmyeon.

After seeing Junmyeon's call asking for help, I stopped what I was doing for a moment.

이민혁

"Stop what you're doing."

세진

"Okay, I understand."

이민혁

"I guess I'll have to stay by Kim Junmyeon's side for a while."

세진

"What's wrong?"

이민혁

"If possible, Kim Junmyeon doesn't contact me. He handles things on his own and ends it. If he contacted me asking for help, it must mean something big is going on..."

세진

"Should I have the car waiting?"

이민혁

" huh. "

Junmyeon's point of view-)

Not long after I sent a text to Minhyuk, I received a call from the manager.

김준면

" hello...-"

구교환

"Yeah, Junmyeon. I was so busy I didn't even notice you calling-"

김준면

"Ah... it's okay-"

구교환

' how have you been doing? '

김준면

"Yes... I've been well."

구교환

'As expected, Junmyeon, you can't hide things from me.'

김준면

" ....... "

구교환

'I heard that Kim Moo-yeol came to Korea a while ago.'

김준면

" ....The manager already knew that."

구교환

' of course. '

김준면

"I heard you're busy..."

구교환

'No matter how busy I am, I have to run to your work. And it doesn't matter if I have to close the door for a moment-'

김준면

" thank you... "

구교환

'Where are you now? I'll go there.'

김준면

"I'm at Soo-hyuk's house-"

구교환

'Send me the address via KakaoTalk-'

김준면

"I'll send it right away."

구교환

'Okay, let's meet later.'

As soon as I finished talking to the manager, my legs suddenly started to feel weak.

Seungcheol saw me like that and grabbed my arm to keep me from falling.

최승철

"Kim Junmyeon, are you okay?"

김준면

"Ugh...."

Not long after I finished the call, the doorbell rang, and I went out to the front door, thinking that the manager had already arrived.

As soon as I opened the front door, the person I saw wasn't the manager, but Lee Min-hyeok.

김준면

"Lee Min-hyuk..."

이민혁

"You asked me to help you."

김준면

" thank you.... "

I held back my tears and hugged Minhyuk tightly.

이민혁

"What are you holding? LOL. If you ask for help, of course I should come."

I felt relieved that Lee Min-hyuk had returned to his usual playful self.

While I was holding him, the manager came and saw this scene.

구교환

"What a sight this is as soon as I arrive..."

After seeing the manager, I quickly got out of Lee Min-hyeok's arms and brought him inside the house.

최승철

"It's been a while."

구교환

"Yeah, it's been a while. It's been a while for you too, Soo-hyuk-"

이수혁

"Okay, now let's plan a plan-?"

구교환

" okay. "

I decided to continue the plan that I couldn't come up with earlier.

Then, Minhyuk was the first to suggest that we should just select the best players and take them with us.

이민혁

"Would it be better to just pick the best guys and take them with us?"

구교환

"No, it might be better to take them all. Even then, there were a lot of bodyguards deployed, so I barely managed to get out."

이민혁

" ah.... "

구교환

"There were a lot back then, but there might be even more now."

이수혁

"Even those bodyguards are all strong enough to be called murder weapons."

구교환

" that's right. "

최승철

"Then it would be better to take as many as possible..."

I know everyone will try to stop me if I say this, but I decided to be brave and say it.

김준면

"I know you'll stop me if I say this, but... can I talk to you?"

이수혁

"Yeah, you can talk-"

김준면

"For now, I plan to confront my uncle alone."

최승철

" what-? "

김준면

"You expected that I would have to face my uncle alone at some point anyway."

최승철

"I know that, but..."

김준면

"I want to beat my uncle with my own strength at least once. And I want to break free - because I've always received help from you and my brothers..."

이민혁

"Choi Seung-cheol, you know that once he starts thinking like that, he'll never change."

김준면

"That doesn't mean I don't need you all - if I don't come out in an hour, then come help me."

이수혁

"Yeah, Junmyeon said that, so there's nothing I can do."

이민혁

"After that, it doesn't matter what we do, right?"

김준면

" huh- "

After Hyojin found out about this situation, she introduced me to a younger sibling she knew, so we decided to meet up.

In fact, Choi Seung-cheol made a sad expression as if telling me not to go, but he coolly sent me away saying it was okay.

As I approached the cafe where Hyojin worked, I couldn't see her face very well, but I saw someone already sitting at a table.

Tiring-)

김효진

"Are you there? Take a seat. I'll bring you something to drink right away-"

김준면

"Ugh..."

As I sat down, he smiled brightly and greeted me.

여환웅

" hello...! "

김준면

" hello... "

여환웅

"My name is Yeo Hwan-ung. I am 25 years old!"

김준면

"I'm Kim Junmyeon. I'm the same age as Hyojin, 28 years old."

여환웅

"Can I call you hyung comfortably...?"

김준면

"Oh, yeah. You can call me-"

여환웅

"Hehe, thanks, bro."

Hwanwoong seemed like a very sociable person. I was worried because I'm very shy, but thanks to Hwanwoong, the atmosphere was relaxed.

여환웅

"Actually, I really wanted to become close with you, hyung...! Hyojin hyung told me every day that I was cool."

김준면

"Oh, really-?"

여환웅

"Yes! Haha"

While I was drinking coffee and talking with Hwanung, my phone rang.

The person who called was none other than Seokmin.

김준면

"Can I take your call for a moment?"

여환웅

"It's okay, you can take it!"

As soon as I answered Seokmin's phone, a loud noise started to be heard.

이석민

'Boss....'

김준면

"Yeah, why."

이석민

'Actually, the boss was injured last time, but he still hasn't treated it...'

김준면

"Whew... Is that Choi Seungcheol screaming right now?"

이석민

'Yes... I told him I would tell everything to the boss, but he kept yelling at me that I couldn't.'

김준면

"Change Choi Seung-cheol right now."

최승철

'Oh, really, Lee Seok-min! I told you not to say anything!'

김준면

"Choi Seung-cheol, would you please shut your mouth?"

최승철

'Ah... I'm a little hurt... I told you I'm okay?!'

김준면

"Why doesn't the person who doesn't stay still when I get hurt even a little bit, treat his own wounds?"

최승철

'Oh really... Lee Seok-min!! If only you hadn't said anything, I could have gotten over it...'

김준면

"Don't get mad at Seokmin for no reason. And Seokmin, change a little-"

최승철

' Ugh... '

김준면

"Seokmin, can you hear me?"

Although it was noisy because Choi Seung-cheol's voice was mixed with the voices of the organization members, Seok-min answered that it was okay and that he could hear them.

이석민

'Yes, I can hear you!'

김준면

"I'll be leaving soon after we finish talking, so tell him that if he doesn't get treatment by then, he'll be left behind."

이석민

' yes...? '

김준면

"Tell him. Seokmin, you don't want to become like that, do you?"

이석민

'No...! I will tell you!'

김준면

"Okay, see you later."

After a long and confusing phone call, I apologized to Hwanwoong and asked if he was okay.

김준면

"The call took a while, sorry..."

여환웅

"No, it's okay!"

김준면

"There's a kid who won't listen to anything I say. I don't know when he'll start listening-"

When the conversation ended and it was time to part ways, Hwanung looked regretful.

김준면

"Do you want to go with me to where my brother works?"

여환웅

"Is that okay...?"

김준면

"Yeah, I feel a little sad that we're breaking up-"

여환웅

"Thank you, bro!"

김준면

"No- lol"

여환웅

"Then can I call you guys and tell you I'm going to be late...?"

김준면

"Yeah, it's okay."

Thump-)

김건학

'Oh, why.'

여환웅

"I thought I'd be a little late, so I called to let you know in advance!"

김건학

'Why do you do it to me instead of to Lee Seo-ho?'

이서호

'Hey, Kim Gun-hak, what? Lee Seo-ho?! You don't want to stick with your brother!'

여환웅

"Is Seoho-hyung here with you too?"

김건학

'Oh, we're together.'

이서호

'Woah, are you really late?'

여환웅

"No, it's not too late. I've been playing with Geonhak hyung in the meantime~"

이서호

'Okay~'

I took a car with Hwanwoong and went to the hideout where I work, and as soon as I entered, the kids greeted me energetically.

조직원들

"Boss, you're here!"

여환웅

" Yeah... "

김준면

"Are you very surprised?"

여환웅

"Yes... you were the vice-boss...?"

김준면

"Yeah, I just wanted to surprise you like this, so I didn't tell you in advance."

여환웅

"I knew he was a great person, but I didn't know he was this great..."

김준면

"Thank you for the kind words."

Seokmin and Seungcheol were coming from far away, and I introduced them to Hwanwoong.

김준면

"The kid you see on the left is Choi Seung-cheol, and he's the boss here. The one on the right is Seok-min, our organization's secretary-"

여환웅

"You are all so cool..."

이석민

"If you had contacted me, I would have come to pick you up. Why did you come alone..."

김준면

"It's okay~ Did Choi Seung-cheol get treatment?"

최승철

"I'm cured!"

김준면

"Just don't throw a tantrum and say you won't get treatment again. You know better than anyone what will happen if you do that again, right?"

최승철

"Okay...ㅠㅠ But who is that person? I'm seeing that face for the first time-"

여환웅

"Hello, my name is Yeo Hwan-woong! I'm Hyo-jin's close friend!"

최승철

"Oh, nice to meet you!"

여환웅

" i look forward to...! "

김준면

"Hwanwoong, I have something to tell you. Do you want to go to the office?"

여환웅

"Oh, yes!"

I brought Hwanwoong to the office because I still had something to talk about.

Over coffee, I finally got to talk about what I really wanted to talk about.

여환웅

"What do you want to talk about, hyung?"

김준면

"Um... that's-"

여환웅

"I'll help you."

김준면

" uh-? "

여환웅

"Hyojin hyung told me. He said he would like to help me-"

김준면

" ....... "

여환웅

"I was wondering why you weren't talking. Actually, that's what I came out to talk about today, but you weren't saying anything."

김준면

" sorry... "

여환웅

"I thought he was just asking for help from a friend... but I was a little surprised to find out he was from an organization. I really didn't know-"

김준면

" ah... "

여환웅

"And when I told him that my brother was also related to Kim Mu-yeol, he readily agreed to help."

김준면

"...Do you know Kim Moo-yeol?"

여환웅

"Yes, we are also victims. To be more specific, it was because of that bastard Kim Mu-yeol that my brother got hurt."

Hwanwoong's bright smile disappeared, and only anger remained on his face.

여환웅

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'll tell you."

김준면

"I only saw you smiling earlier, but now that I see you, I feel like you're a lot different..."

여환웅

"They're both my appearances. My brother tries hard because he likes to see me smile."

김준면

"Are you part of the organization too?"

여환웅

"Yes, Seoho-hyung gathered them one by one. That's how our team was formed. Originally, I went with a guy named Geon-hee."

김준면

" I see.. "

After a long conversation with Hwanung, he sent him off with caution.

After seeing him off, I returned to the office and lay down on the bed.

I've been struggling with insomnia and nightmares lately, but after receiving regular counseling, they've largely disappeared, which makes me feel good.